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Money from "Nothing" Challenge 6/13

4K views 46 replies 26 participants last post by  baxjul 
#1 ·
This is more of a challenge to myself, but maybe someone would like to join and motivate?

I'm challenging myself to see how much money I can make from "nothing" by June 13th. I'm feeling a little desperate to build up my emergency fund (we have been having weekly rounds of layoffs at my office).

It feels like I have no resources beyond my job, but today on my way to work, I saw my neighbors had put all their returnable bottles from a weekend cookout on the curb in a clear bag for trash collection, so I put them in my car to return them.

Now, I have a couple of jars of change I could roll, I have some wedding gifts I never used/will use still in their original packaging in my basement, I can sell those on e-bay and if I push myself every night when I get home from work I think I could have a pretty decent yardsale on June 13th. I wonder how much money I could make between now and then?

Anyone up for a challenge? Anyone have any ideas for other ways we could "make money from nothing" in the next couple of weeks?
 
#3 ·
I'm going to teach a couple of week long seminars for kids tis summer. . . one on wilderness living, one on cooking safely. The wilderness living one, will cost me nothing to set up, except the cost of few handouts, and fliers for advertising. The cooking one, will cos me the food items, but I'll charge enough to cover that, plus make money. I've been asked to teach one for adults on saving money, and another one of doing Christmas for under $100
 
#4 ·
I love a good challenge...

I am new to this site today, so hope I get it right. I started this project a few months ago, when income dropped, and other expenses went thru the roof. I hope some of my ideas help :) Increased health ins ded's ($2004), canceled a small life pol ($220), increased home/auto ded's ($150), changed phone carriers ($240), 2 garage sales ($500), switched to generic meds ($1222), cashed out IRA (it had dropped by half, $6600), stopped yard service ($600), turn down w/heater daily ($50), sold scrap gold ($125), consigned clothes ($50), used cash value from life pol to pay 5 mo's prem's ($2000), used credit card reward points to get a new vacuum and grill (free), shop grocery BOGO's w/coupons weekly ($600 yr?), brown bag lunches ($600), pay auto ins thru checking debit ($67), have my business/home electric on the "on call" program ($144). There is more, & I am still working it, but so far, I am around $18,326 ahead of the game :) I would LOVE to hear other ideas.

Thanks!
 
#6 ·
What a great idea!

I will be watching how it goes and please let us know everything you do OK?
 
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#7 ·
beekeeper - what an interesting idea!! Love the great ideas shared so far and am looking forward to seeing what comes up.

I'll be joining you just to see what 'free' money opportunities do come my way - totally expanding my horizons. Mahalo!!
 
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#8 ·
I am in for this one. It will be intresting to see how much I can come up with in a couple of weeks AND I might actually have that yardsale I keep putting off.

One of the things we use to do when we were really strapped was "go junkin". Basically we would dumpster dive from factory or stores that were closing or remodeling dumpsters for things that could be scrapped or sold at a yardsale. You would be very surprised at what you can find at those particular types of dumpsters. A drugstore that was going out put out full cases of things such as sunglassess, conditioners, frisbees, and so on during thier last week as they had to have the store completely empty by the end of the final day. Small places in those business complexes (can't think of the right term for them at the moment) will just pitch thier seconds. We use to frequent a place that cut the electrical tape into rolls. If they weren't cut just right they got pitched.

Good Luck!!!!
 
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#9 ·
Wow, ladies - so many great ideas! Here's what I came up with for yesterday:

Returned neighbors cans - $5.75!

Offered to babysit for a neighbor who owns a commercial bakery. I told her my scheme and she said she would make a dozen cinnamin rolls and pack them individually in exchange for baby sitting Friday night. I'll take those dozen cinnamin rolls to the Farmers Market, where my friend has a booth and sell the cinnamin rolls for $2.50each ($30 potential profit), along with 5 vases of flowers from my garden for $15 each. The vases will be some older mason jars, we have a virtual poppy field at the moment, and I think poppies are expensive flowers (will have to do some research today).

DH saw some of those old metal bouncy lawn chairs by the side of the road in bad shape, peeling paint and some rust. He brought those home yesterday. Once he scrubs them with a metal brush, washes and paints them, I think we could get about $15 each for them at a yard sale.

Last thing, we have a TON of old 3 ring binders at my office the facilities manager was going to throw away. I took them and they are in my cubicle now, I'll sell them for .25 each at the yardsale (maybe $20 worth of binders?)

So, other than the $5.75, it's still all theoretical money:
$30 cinnamin buns
$75 fresh cut flowers
$30 "vintage" bouncy lawn chairs
$20 binders

It's still remains to be seen if I can get this money from these things (I will find out this weekend!) but I'm impressed we were able to come up with $155 in potential cash from "nothing" in just one day. If I could keep it up for the next 16 days, that would be $2,480, which would cover the household bills for a month if I were to be laid off.

I think I am getting a little ahead of myself, but I am excited! Can anyone come up with any more money from nothing ideas?
 
#10 ·
This site could become addictive...

I am into this frugal thing in a big way...you know how it goes, one idea leads to another. I look forward to learning your ways to save/find money. A little here & there equal A LOT as the end result. It is like a treasure hunt. I pick up every coin I see on the ground and put it in a jar ($30 - $80 yr) A great place to look is at any drive up window, or convenience store cash register. Go to Freecyclers on the web, find your area, and join. These are people like us, that post things they no longer want/need. You receive emails (I get about sixty a day). Yesterday I got a free George Foreman grill. The day before, I gave away XBOX games. The idea is to help each other and not send so much to our landfills. :)
 
#11 ·
Great Challenge!! Once you get going it is amazing the money you can "find". I use my change jar and botte return towards paying off my credit card. Once i get that accomplished i would like to set up a separate savings account for "found" money.
 
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#12 ·
OMG, do you know how much one of those metal chairs cost? I just saw an ad last week and they were $60 each on sale. I love those chairs as those were the in thing for outdoor furniture when I was little and my aunt had them. Your hubby found a treasure. I'm a wee bit jealous, but happy for you.:D

Cat
 
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#13 ·
Selling plasma will net you $25 for one time. . . $30 the second time in a week. So about $200/month. . .tax free money. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to donate each time. . . more the first time, to get all the paper work, etc. done.

I have a cheap digital camera. . . but live on a farm, and have an eye for photography, to some degree. I took some of the kids senior pictures in our barn, in the horse corral, in the flower beds, etc. I just saved them all on a CD, sold the kids the CD and let them take them to Walgreens, Walmart, etc. to print them , themselves.
 
#22 ·
Selling plasma will net you $25 for one time. . . $30 the second time in a week. So about $200/month. . .tax free money. It takes about 1 1/2 hours to donate each time. . . more the first time, to get all the paper work, etc. done.
I completely forgot about plasma.... I want to add that the price varies. They give $50 the 1st time here $35 for the 1st 4 times in a month, $45 for the 5th and 6th, and $50 for the last couple of times you can fit in a month.

DH and I use to pay all our actual bills with plasma money when we were saving fora house.
 
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#14 ·
I love this idea...Although I can't do the lawn sale thing...because I live in an apartment...but oh well...I can sell on ebay! I have plenty of things if I just take the time out of my busy schedule, that I can do...I have returnable cans that I can cash in...and I can figure something out..may not be much..but it's better than nothing!
 
#15 ·
Thanks everyone, I figure with a tight deadline like this, we can all give it a little push. I love the idea about the photographs. We have a nice camera, and a beautiful garden, I should see if I can work something out...my best met might just be offering our property to a photographer to use for a wedding, family portraits, etc. for a small fee. We also just got the house listed with the state film board in case someone might want to use it for a movie (it helps to have a place that's never, ever been changed except for absolute essentials!) and Adam Sandler is currently filming a movie just down the road, as is Mel Gibson so who knows!

I didn't do much yesterday, I did find my great-grandmother's silver tea set in the basement (we bought the house from my great-aunts estate, seven generations of my family have lived here, I never know what I might find), but I have to think about selling it. I don't think I will.

But my DH scored BIG (although not in a "money" way). He owns a moving company, so he is constantly getting things off jobs, (mostly junk in my opinion). But yesterday, the client was moving cross country and emptied out her freezer and gave him the contents, almost all meat - roasts, sausages, steaks, ground beef, etc. It must have been over $200 of very good quality meats.

It's not money, but it's a big addition to our stockpile. We had to give some to our neighbor because we couldn't fit the last two roasts into our freezer (currently savings for upright freezer for basement stockpile).
 
#16 ·
Wow, some fantastic ideas! I pulled a bunch of stuff out that I don't need and I'm going to get it listed on Craigs List and on E-bay. I hope to have them listed on Sunday! Some of the items should do pretty well, so we shall see...

Great job all!
 
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#17 ·
What a fun thread!

I'm not sure if this is applicable because it required an initial "investment." My husband and I purchased a metal detector six years ago. I have received permission to detect on some town commons and a flea market field. I have yet to find that diamond ring, but I always find change and sometimes some decent jewelry. I get fresh air and exercise to boot!

This, too, costs a little money to make money, but I always think in terms of ebay when I go to auctions and tag sales. I love purchasing an item for fifty cents and turning it into ten bucks!
 
#18 ·
This is a great idea, I need to be more creative. I was motivated by you so I went thru all the winter coats and checked the sofa, chairs, etc and came up with 6.43. With that I am going to start a change jar. I am really trying to raise some money too. I have listed several books on Amazon.com and half.com. This a great way to make a few bucks. Thanks for inspiring me Diane
 
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#19 · (Edited)
Good luck!

Some advice on the poppies: if you just cut them and put them in a jar of water they will be gone within 2 days. If you pound the ends where they've been cut with something heavy (like the back of a knife or a hammer) they will last a week. Don't mash them, just lightly pound, like you would to crack an egg.

And, if you combine the poppies with greenleaved and flowering grasses, you get really wonderful bunches.

You still have time to try this out before the farmers' market and your yard sale.
 
#20 ·
My DH is a carpenter, so when he does a remodel he always brings home the scrap aluminum, wood, etc. We recycle the wood into craft projects to sell at our yearly yardsale. Benches, signs, birdhouses, etc. We take the aluminum in for cash. We do this about every 3 months, depending on the amount. It feels great to have this added free cash to add to our EF or what ever we need it for. Sometimes even for monthly groceries depending on our situation at the time.
 
#21 ·
I rolled another $10.00 in quarters this week and i have another bag of bottle returns. Also i am planning on staying home tonight instead of roaming through Goodwill. This is a fun thread!!
 
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#23 ·
Think of all the good that you are doing too when you give plasma!! Everyone wins!!
 
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#24 ·
My daughter is artistic. I am trying to get her to sell on etsy. We get supplies at g.sales and estate sale or curbside shopping. She can make amazing things from scraps. She made a fantastic sculpture from scraps in her jewelry class,no cost involved. I wish she would duplicate it but we have to find more scrap metal. A friend of our rented a booth at the parking lot sale. She said DD could put things on her table. She's digging through her old craft projects as I type.
 
#25 ·
Neat thread!! i make all kinds of things and sell them at craft shows and at a craftmall as well as at the farmers market. My dh can do any kind of fixing you need done so we have made money doing that before.

I called today and cans are only paying 40 cents a pound here so i will hang on to them for a bit.


I have mowed lawns for money before. Last year in fact I did 2 lawns a week and made $200 a month.

I will keep thinking and I love to brainstorm and see what we can all come up with.
 
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#26 ·
Sorry for taking so long to update, but we had a busy (and profitable) weekend. Here is the breakdown to date:

1) $5.75 neighbors cans
2) $25.00 - sold 10 cinnamon rolls at farmers market (ate 1; shared 1 :()
3) $60 -sold four bouquets of poppies (traded 5th bouquet for tomato plant)
4) $210 - Sunday we pulled 2 antiques bureau's out of the barn and basement, along with the two repaired bouncy chairs. All together, made $210 at the antique flea market near our house! I thought I'd sell the bouncy chairs for $15 each, but they sold for $22 each! We thought the flea market might get a better price on the antiques than at a yard sale.

5) Rolled change $163.47!

Total made so far $464.22! Not bad for "nothing!" And we haven't even had the yardsale yet! We made several piles this weekend!

We also took some pictures of the house and garden and submitted it for use in movies, print ads, etc. with the Massachusetts film board. Posted shots online and offered garden to photographers with a site fee of $40 dollars. We will see what happens with that!
 
#27 ·
Great thread! I don't remember seeing paid surveys listed, but that can be a good way to earn a few bucks. I like Lightspeed and Pinecone especially, but there are lots. (Look into them before signing up, though, as these two above are the only ones I can really vouch for.)

MyPoints is good for paid emails, too.
 
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